A day in the life of… a 3D Print Technical Specialist

For most product design students, the term 3D printing relates to a singular process, perhaps two or three at most.

At university, you’re almost certainly introduced to Fused Deposition Modelling or Stereolithography, but as you become more immersed in the technology – either through curiosity or employment – you realise there are many more variations to this concept of building parts layer by layer.

For James Carlisle, that enlightenment came when stepping through the doors at Tri-Tech 3D, a company that not only sells 3D printing equipment, but provides additive manufacturing services too. It’s a company like this where those curious enough will thrive.

Though a skilled CAD operator who can integrate creativity into the designs of parts, even Carlisle was surprised by what certain 3D printing technologies can do.

“When you see the sheer detail and the full colour that you can get on other technologies, it’s a real eye opener,” the 3D Print Technical Specialist tells TCT. Once those eyes were opened, Carlisle got stuck in. They don’t hand out jobs with the words ‘technical specialist’ in them willy nilly. No, Carlisle has had to operate on both sides of the Tri-Tech 3D business to earn that title, employing his creative side to support his marketing and production colleagues, and maintaining discipline when working with external customers and partners.

Q: What’s the best thing about your job?

JC: The variety of clients that you work with because you never know what’s going to come in. When I was at university, I had a massive interest in film production, and then coming here, working on some projects with film production companies is like a dream come true.

The role beyond the title

The Tri-Tech 3D is most renowned for its reselling and distribution expertise – Pairing the right 3D printing solution to the right customer. But it also operates as a service provider through the 3D Print Bureau brand – producing parts for those who are early in their adoption of the technology, or those who prefer to leave production in the hands of a team already skilled in the processes.

One of Carlisle’s primary job functions is in the quoting of parts for 3D Print Bureau customers. This begins with data processing through Autodesk Netfabb, to check if there are any faults in the print file, before preparing the data for print by selecting the best infill densities and build orientation. Carlisle will match the part to the most suitable printer and material, and then provide the quote to the customer. If a fault is identified with the file supplied by the customer, Carlisle will liaise with the production team to figure out how best to address it.

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In line with Tri-Tech 3D’s other mission – to distribute Stratasys 3D printers to clients in the UK and Ireland – Carlisle will help to process benchmark parts.

“With a benchmark part,” Carlisle says, “we want to show the best possible output they can get from the printer that they want to buy and highlight what’s possible with that kind of technology.”

In addition to the processing of these benchmark parts – which could be Stratasys designs, Tri-Tech designs or even customer designs – Carlisle will also provide clients with a breakdown of how much material a customer can expect to use and how much the printing of the components will cost per part.

At Tri-Tech, it is the company’s ethos to treat all parts printed onsite with the same importance, whether it’s a component for internal use, a benchmark for a prospective customer, or a manufactured part for a client. That is the standard set by Group Director Adrian Painter, Bureau Manager Dave Bennett and Production Manager Clive Watson, and implemented on a daily basis by the likes of Carlisle and the production team.

What is also important is communication. Carlisle and Bennett need to be in constant dialogue with Watson to understand how to best manage the printers to maintain an efficient schedule that will meet clients’ deadlines. But more than that, Carlisle stresses a need to speak the same language as designers and engineers. Let’s put a pin in that.

Q: Who is perfect for a job like yours?

JC: People who have a passion for and a real understanding of 3D software, and hands-on work as well. People who want to test things to the limits.

A typical day

The only thing Carlisle can expect in a working day is that it won’t be the same as yesterday. He scoffs at the idea of a typical day, because he wouldn’t even be able to describe a typical hour. The variety of processes, parts and requests mean he is constantly on his toes.

He does start the day in a routine way however, checking first to see what enquiries have come in overnight. At this point he begins to assess the print file data that has been sent in, addressing any red flags as they arise, and processing the files in whichever software package matches the printer of choice. The parts are costed, quoted, and once the customer opts to proceed, Carlisle finds his production colleagues to get the job integrated into the busy schedule.

It's the same process for benchmarks. Where the unpredictability arises is what he finds in the data, and how he has to fix those issues. What sounds like a pain in the back side is actually the beauty of the job. Getting hands-on with the technology, solving problems, optimising part designs for the technology, and perhaps even elevating the aesthetics through finishing.

Carlisle might also occasionally be required to hit the road to see a customer to discuss an application at their facility. At an early stage, this might be a discovery mission to understand what’s possible, while further down the line this might be a meeting to explore how the results could be improved. Should Carlisle be lucky enough to have a quiet period, he might be tasked with designing a spare part to help with production, a sample part for marketing to show off at trade events, and when that’s done, there’s always maintenance to be done on the machinery.

Q: Why should people want to work in additive manufacturing?

JC: It’s interesting, it’s rewarding, it’s the future.

The pathway

As alluded to already, Carlisle’s entry into this world came through a product design undergraduate degree, which introduced him to a couple of 3D printing processes. That window into the technology was enough to catch Carlisle’s imagination.

At university, he not only learnt the fundamentals of 3D printing technology by using it to prototype parts, but an industrial enhancement placement in his third of four years studying helped to contextualise the things he was learning about.

More than that, it helped him learn how to communicate with his peers.

“Understanding designers and engineers, not just from a technical point of view, but how they think,” Carlisle explains. “Studying product design, we all have a similar sort of mindset, but then with the industrial enhancement, you’re getting to work with that company and you get a real understanding of the process and the kind of language that’s used, the terminology, which you then bring over into the working world. It’s just much easier to talk to people and understand what they’re after. Then, you can provide them with the best service and best product.”

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